Snakes love Foxes
by The Dark Angel Michael
Summary: Akatsukis been beaten. Orochimaru is dead. Naurto is changed. what happens when he all but gives up on his dream of becomeing Hokage only to be saved by the one who ruined his life. NaruxAnko. This is a love story more than anything and the rating is 'M'
1. Snakes love Foxes

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I do own the computer I'm writing this fan fiction on. I would trade them in an instant 

AN: This takes place four years after Naruto returns from his training trip with Jiraiya. Akatsuki is destroyed and Orochimaru/Sasuke have been killed. Naruto will be uber powerful because I like super Naruto. R&R

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter one

Snakes and Foxes

"Snakes" He muttered to himself. He'd never forget their smell. Snakes were the one and only animal that he hated.

"Fox." She said loudly. There were few things that smelled like foxes and even fewer people that could separate the smells. Her nose was better than most. The only people that could distinguish smells better were the Inuzuka.

"I wonder what she wants here. I thought that this place was off limits."

"To genin like you brat, not Jounin. Now why the hell are you here?" Anko questioned. No one entered the forest of death. It was one of the best training grounds but there were just too many dangers for most to take the risk. Anko was one of the few who found peace in the forest and she wanted to know why a genin was relaxing in it.

"I was taking a nap. It's too dangerous to do it in my apartment so I said 'what the hell' this place is probably safer." Naruto mocked. He loved the forest. There were a ton of dangerous animals but not many came near him. The best reason he could come up with was that they were afraid of what he held.

Anko lost the smirk she'd had on. She knew that the boy held the demon fox and she knew how many people hated him for it. She didn't expect him to seek refuge from them in one of the most dangerous places in the village. "You've got to be really good or really stupid to consider this place safer than the village." She said half heartedly. With how the people had treated the boy. It wasn't much of a surprise.

Naruto sighed. He'd wanted a peaceful day. He started to get up on the branch he was on when a hand found his shoulder. "I don't want pity." He said immediately. Anko was a sadistic bitch but she was never evil. He still didn't want to hear a half hearted apology from her. She'd never done anything against him. He fully stood up and turned to her. "If you want to help me then leave me alone till I ask for help." With that he was gone in a flash of red.

She hadn't been surprised to see his headband over his eyes. It was a common sight now. It had been since he'd finished the Akatsuki. He'd gone to their base with a team of nine and returned alone covered in blood with his headband over his eyes. Not a single person had seen the sky blue orbs since. Anko felt a little hurt. She decided to show a little of her caring side and she'd been shot down before she even had a chance. "Damn brat." She said to herself as she launched herself into the forest to look for him.

Naruto stopped his movement at the edge of the forest. He hated when people decided to show him pity. He was one of the strongest ninja Konoha had ever produced and some people still treated him like he was a kid. He lifted his nose and sniffed the air around him. "The snakes following me." He smiled a little. Even if she had insulted him she still wanted to find him. Sure there was a good chance it was to try to kill him for ignoring her but still few people even showed him that.

He walked at a slow pace. He wasn't in a rush to get back to the main part of the village but he was wondering what Anko still wanted. If there was a chance that she didn't want to kill him then what else could she want with him. 'Can't really think of anything she would want. I can't really even think of a reason she would come after me.' He thought to himself. The closest Anko had ever gotten to him was during his first chunin exam and all she did then was cut him.

He continued walking, thinking about the possible outcomes of the inevitable meeting. He'd meant what he said but he still enjoyed the fact that she was coming after him. It made him feel like he was something other than a demon to the village. "You're pretty fast. Hmm, guess I should expect it from a Jounin." He said aloud, knowing that she was within hearing range.

"I could ask how you're so fast but I'm guessing you wouldn't tell me." She said as she landed behind him, 'how the hell did he know I was so close. I completely masked my Chakra and I hid myself with a Genjutsu?' she questioned inwardly. It was common knowledge that Naruto was good. How good was unknown. He refused to openly show his abilities after the defeat of Akatsuki. He threatened to leave the village if Tsunade forced him to display his skills.

"No I'd tell you if you asked. But since you haven't I feel no reason to." He said. 'Hmm. I wonder.' He was inches from her before she could blink. "Why are you following me?" he asked in a low voice.

'Fast.' "You completely blew me off back there! I refuse to be ignored by anyone. I don't care how good you are you're not going to ignore me."

Naruto smiled. Her eyes were showing the slight fear she held. 'Nobody knows what I can do. Kyu was right. (sigh) bastard fox, you leave when I finally have a need of you.' he reached up to his headband and tapped it with his index finger, "I'm so fast because of my eyes. As long as it's within my field of vision I can move there in an instant." He told her. It'd been a while since he'd trusted someone with his secrets. Anko as like him in a sense. People hated her because of something someone else did. If there was anyone who would understand him it would be her. "You've got no reason to be afraid of me."

"I'm not afraid to you!" she yelled indignantly. She was Anko. Everyone was afraid of her. If not for her skill then it was for her sadistic tendencies. There was no way that she could be afraid of someone else.

Naruto laughed at that. "Sure, sure. Now, can I ask why you're following me?" 'Wow. She's cares more about a little insult then she does me being able to move as fast as light.' It was amazing. Some people could always amuse him.

"I already told you, brat! I refuse to be ignored! Now tell me what the hell is the matter with you so I can help like I was going to." She was fuming. The kid was how many years younger than her and he was laughing at her.

Naruto's laugh clamed a little as he watched her, "Fine." He said after a moment. "I already told you though. I feel safer in a forest full of the most dangerous animal in Konoha than I do in the city itself. My problem is pretty much self explanatory. I want to be Hokage and everyone still hates me. The council has sent me on more life threatening missions than I can count and I'd be willing to bet that it wasn't because they thought I was good. They probably just want to get rid of me. How the hell am I supposed to get to Hokage with so many people against me?" It felt good to vent. He hadn't in a few months. Usually if he needed to release some stress then he'd just tear apart a training ground and blame it on Guy and Lee. They were usually too busy with their training to know where they were while they spared so they couldn't object.

"Brat!" Anko yelled. She really didn't know why she yelled but she did. She couldn't be mad anymore. He had a Dream and it was nearly unreachable because of a single incident. "You can't just give up." she said quietly. It was unlike her but she hated to see someone hated for something that another did.

"I don't intend to. But eventually someone will notice and when they do then I'll have to leave. I don't know when but I know they will. I'm actually surprised you haven't I try to limit my time with anyone so they don't. You're the first person that I've spent more than just a few minutes with."

'What am I supposed to notice?' She asked herself. She looked at Naruto. There was a boy in Orange. Nothing odd about it at all… well maybe too much orange but he'd always worn that. Her eyes scanned him over and over. Nothing was out of place. He'd grown but that was expected. 'He's not lying. I've no doubt about that but what could he be talking about?' there was nothing different about him besides his personality.

"You might get it eventually. I really don't care if you do. You're probably the one of the few people who won't hate me for It." he turned away from Anko and was about to leave when Anko's hand found his shoulder again.

"I don't see anything. Why do you think people will hate you for something that's not there?"

"It's there Anko. There all there. I'll see you later… maybe." She felt something slide against her cheek. It was soft. As soon as Naruto vanished it was gone.

**(Hokage monument)**

"How do you like it?"

"I love it. I just hate how I know people will look at me once they learn what I am."

"I don't think they'll all hate you. Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Iruka won't think of you any differently. Hell that Anko might think you're cute."

"That's not funny. She's nice but I don't think she'll want much to do with me when she learns that I'm even worse than Orochimaru."

"Don't even talk like that. Orochimaru was a hell spawn. You're natural. Just because the name 'demon' was added, doesn't mean that you're actually a demon. The humans named me that because I was immortal and because of how strong I was. You are not a demon."

Naruto smiled as he took off his headband. His eyes looked over the village. "I love this village."

"I hate them."

"I know you do. But you aren't strong enough to actually do any damage so I really don't care."

"That hurt."

"Baka, fox"

Kyuubi laughed. "Shut up, kit. I'm still your superior."

"Only until I'm twenty five. I'm leaving this place as soon as possible."

"I thought you still wanted to be Hokage. Isn't that what you told the snake hime (Princess)?"

"Hmm. Anko-hime. She'll hate that."

"Focused." Kyuubi mocked.

"Fine."Naruto sighed. He did want to be Hokage. There were just so many things that were more important to him. "Being Hokage hasn't been my dream for years. The village would completely shoot down the idea anyway so there's no real point in continuing after it."

"You shouldn't just give up like that kit. You've made people change before. You're stronger now so that ability to change should be stronger as well." It didn't sit well with Kyuubi that Naruto would just give up. No one that he considered family should give in so simply.

Naruto sighed. One second the fox was saying that he hated the village and the next he was saying that Naruto shouldn't give up his goal to become the leader of the same village. "It's not that I don't want to. I really do. I've got things to do though. You said that I wouldn't be able to lead a village once I was completely altered."

"I did say that. You're only nineteen right now though. You won't be complete untill you're twenty five. That's six years. Convince Tsunade to retire earily and have her name you her sucsesor. If she names you the Rokudaime then the council and the village will have no say in the matter. You can live your dream as Hokage and leave before you completely absorb the rest of my Chakra. I really don't see why you'd want to leave though. Once you have all my Chakra and it finishes the alteration then you'll be able to shape shift like I was. You wouldn't have to have you're tails flailing everywhere and scaring people. You could hide them and nobody would ever be the wiser." Kyuubi said proudly. Liking how simple yet efficient his plan was.

"It won't be that simple, Kyu." Naruto said, "Even if I do become Hokage. If the people hate me then they will disregard what I say as Hokage. Now if the people do it then there's still a chance I can run the village efficiently but if the ninja do it too then the village will fall apart. We won't be able to accept missions because none of the ninja would be willing to do a job assigned by me. Without missions the village wouldn't be able to raise the money needed to say on its feet."

"For that very reason they'll listen to you. Even if the ninja hate you they'll still do the missions you assign. They know how dependent the village is on the payments and they'll do them so the village can survive. The people can hate you all they want. The Hokage is in charge of military concerns and overall village production. The main source of power for the people is the council. You can replace the council with your friends. They'll listen to you and the civilians will listen to them."

"The current council will throw a fit if I try to replace them."

"Who cares? They won't have any power once they're just normal civilians. I suggest keeping the Nara family in the council though. Having that Shikamaru kid and his father on the council will help greatly. Shikaku is one of the most intelligent creatures I've ever come across."

"yeah." Naruto agreed. His mind was elsewhere. Kyuubi's plan almost sounded like it would work. His friends would love the opportunity to work in the village's council. None of them were the head of their clans but if he offered the position as Hokage then they would be permitted.

"I'll in your head helping you so there's no reason to worry. I told you when Akatsuki broke the seal, I'll help you with anything as long as you hold up you end of our deal."

"And as I told you, I will give you what you want but it'll take some time to find it. Honestly, if I become Hokage, it'll be easier. I can request a mission under a Henge and then I can give it to one of our tracker teams. If they can't find it then I'll search for it when I retire."

This made Kyuubi happy. He really didn't want the relic that Madara used to seal the Bijuu but he needed a reason to stay with the boy. Kyuubi had lost all of his family and Naruto was the only person he considered a son. "Soooo. You plan to use my all knowing advice and become Hokage." Kyuubi said in a sarcastic tone.

"Baka fox." Naruto mumbled. "Yeah. If you're right and Tsunade agrees to name me Rokudaime then I'd really like to go for it."

"Good boy. Now go home and rest. You've got a big week ahead of you, I can tell you'll enjoy it." Kyuubi chuckled as he faded from view.

Naruto lifted his shirt a little to look at the seal on his stomach. He was glad that Akatsuki hadn't managed to destroy it. He got up slowly and began his trek home.

**(Forest of Death, 7:30 AM)**

"Wakey, Wakey" a familiar voice chimed in his ear.

"Go away. I'm trying to sleep" Naruto mumbled into his pillow.

"Come on. How do you plan on doing anything if you sleep all the time?" Kyosu laughed. He loved messing with his master and laughing at him always managed to get his attention.

"Why can't I UN-summon you like all the others." Naruto said as he pulled himself up from the pillow he'd found so much comfort in. "I think Kyuubi stuck me with the most annoying fox he could just to spite me for keeping him locked up for so many years."

Kyosu's laugh got louder at this. Naruto was such an amusing morning person. Insulting anything and everything that was near him. "Come on, grumpy, get yourself moving. There's someone in the forest and I doubt you want them to get close enough to find this place."

Grumbling, Naruto got out of bed. He wasn't ashamed of the fact that he hated mornings. The sunlight that somehow found its way into his window was the only enemy that he could never defeat. "Damn sunlight. Were in a fricken forest. How the hell does it even get past the trees? The leaves are huge." he complained as he made his way to the bathroom.

Kyosu had given up laughing and just shook his head in shame. 'How did I become the familiar of such an idiot?' He questioned. There was no doubt, he loved his master dearly. Sometimes Naruto could just be stupid and in those moments Kyosu always tried to figure out why Kyuubi picked him to help the boy in the physical world.

Kyuubi could help the kid with anything from within the seal and as far as Kyosu knew, Kyuubi could come out of the seal. So why did the boy need a familiar. "I have a limited time out of the seal. I can only be out for around an hour a day before it pulls me back. I need someone here to physically help him should he need it." Kyuubi said. Kyosu yelped as he found the former fox lord next to him. "I can give him advice from within him but as you put it a moment ago, he is an idiot sometimes. He needs someone to keep him in line. Until he finds someone to do it for you, I need you here to look out for him."

Kyosu bowed his head automatically. "I wasn't questioning my job. I'm proud to have it. I just laugh about it every now and then."

Kyuubi sighed, "For starters, don't bow to me. The Kit is you're new lord. Second, I wasn't saying it to scold you. I was saying my intentions. You know as well as I that he has more potential than I ever did. I was only able to get nine tails and I truly believe that Naruto will be able to get all ten."

Kyosu's eyes widened at the implications of that. A ten tailed Bijuu. It would be the strongest thing the world would ever know. "I'm sure you would have been able to gain the tenth had you not been sealed." The small fox said.

"No. I wouldn't have been able to. I don't have the emotion needed to gain it. Hell the only reason I treat Naruto as I do is because I consider him my family. You should have seen me before I did. I would threaten to kill him every chance I got. To anyone other than family or brethren I'm an asshole. I've no chance of gaining the tenth tail. Naruto actually cares about others. I can't wait to see the one who'll force it out." Kyuubi laughed softly at that. He really couldn't wait to see who Naruto's mate would be.


	2. A Snake's venom

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I do have a cat though. I also don't own the song I threw in there.

Chapter Two

A snake's venom

Anko was all but flying through the trees. Her feet were only touching the branches long enough to push her back into the air. She didn't know why but this simple act made her feel so free. It almost seemed like nothing in the world could faze her. She loved that feeling.

Konoha was her village yet she loved this place so much more. The animals, while dangerous, only attacked her because she was in their home and their instincts told them to protect themselves and their home. The villagers just hated her. They didn't have to attack her yet they did. Sure, it'd been a long time since any of them had. The scars of their assaults still ran deep. 'Though none of them are as painful as his.' She thought to herself.

Naruto had suffered more in his life than she thought possible. It was a miracle that he had stayed sane. Anko had been the scum of the village for a few years. Naruto had been the devil spawn for his entire life. She'd been old enough to withstand the constant threats and hate that she'd received. Naruto had been a kid, a baby, when the village began to torment him.

Shaking her head, she brushed those thoughts to the side. This was her time and she didn't want to spend her time thinking about how the village had treated victims of circumstance. She sniffed the air around her, trying to find something to go after. 'Fox?' she questioned. There were few foxes in the forest of death but that wasn't what made her question the smell. One, she'd smelled fox recently and she hadn't been expecting to catch the smell again. Two, the foxes scent was mixed. Half fox, half… strawberry. The smell intrigued her. There were many different things in the forest but there weren't any strawberries. At least as far as she knew.

**(Shower)**

Naruto ran his hands through his hair. He loved the warm water running down his skin. As tense as he always was, the relaxation that it brought was always welcome. He smelled the shampoo that he worked into his hair. Strawberries. His favorite fruit. He hadn't liked them before but when his senses had become enhanced the taste of things naturally changed. He loved their new taste, smell… everything. He simply loved them.

Kyosu hated them of course and that was only an up to Naruto. He loved annoying the little fox. Kyosu was his closest friends and Naruto naturally loved messing with him. Kyosu laughed about it most of the time but occasionally he snapped and jumped at Naruto. Naruto was surprised at the fox's ability to tear him apart.

(Sail on, by masterplan)

Naruto sighed in relief before he opened his mouth to sing.

"_You cannot see it coming  
always without a warning  
you need to hold on tighter  
find a brand new start"_

Naruto felt relieved as the words left him. They reminded him of himself in a way. He never knew what was coming next and when it did show itself then it was always sudden and the only thing he could do was ride through it.

_"High on the wire  
they taunted you like the Messiah  
Time for a change  
before your life just falls apart  
how could you find a way  
from deep within your heart  
Reach out and gaze at the star  
Let the vision fly"_

His dream. So far away yet so close. He knew that it was foolish to consider it a reality but at the same time he couldn't think of anything more real. What would the world be without dreams? The very existence of Konoha was a dream of man and now it was a reality that hundreds of people knew.

_"We always have to sail on  
Out of shadows to the light beyond  
Never shut your weary eyes  
But always try to see the line  
Can you see it in your mind"_

'What line is left?" Naruto asked himself. 'Only one.' He answered immediately after. There was only one thing that kept him from his dream and it was as thin as a line yet strong as steel.

_"Wearing the mask for so long  
the clown must believe to hold on  
Throw down your fears  
and guide the strength which lies within"_

His fear of rejection. His love of the village. They were the only thing keeping him back. His friends would support him. They would always have his back and he knew it. What then held him down…? '_Nothing!'_

_  
"We always have to sail on  
Out of shadows to the light beyond  
Never shut your weary eyes  
But always try to see the line  
Can you see it in your mind  
Can you see it in your mind"_

'_**I've got one chance I won't lose it'**__  
"New rising____sun will shine forever  
All your power strong as steel  
Turn the page and seek no savior  
Break free and see  
The line through the wheel"_

_  
"We always have to sail on  
Out of shadows to the light beyond  
Never shut your weary eyes  
But always try to see the line  
We always have to sail on  
Out of shadows to the light beyond  
Never shut your weary eyes  
But always try to see the line  
Can you see it in your mind  
Can you see the line  
See the line through the wheel  
Can you see the line"_

He finished as the last of the soap ran out of his hair. The flame red bush he had on his head blocked his line of sight but he couldn't bring himself to cut it. **'You look like your father did.' **Kyuubi said as he re-entered the seal. This brought a small smile to Naruto's face. He didn't know anything about his father and he didn't really care. It felt good to know he did indeed have a father and he wasn't just a spawn of hell like so many of the villagers had told him. **'Don't leave you're tails in the dust Naruto. Keep them clean.' **Kyuubi hated when Naruto thought things like that so he came up with the first thing that made any sort of sense and yelled it to the boy.

'I don't think I'll ever forget them. There one of the few gifts I've ever received.'

Kyuubi wanted to yell but he knew it would be pointless. Naruto had to get whatever pain he still held out of his system. Stopping him from venting would only hurt him in the long run and Kyuubi didn't want Naruto to suffer any longer.

Naruto pulled out the soap again and wrapped his tails around him so he could reach them easier.

"Kami-Sama." Naruto shot his head to the voice.

**(Anko)**

"Kami-Sama." She breathed. What the hell was this? She'd followed the foxes scent to see if Naruto had retreated to the forest again. She'd found a small house that was sculpted into the side of a large hill. Anko hadn't expected to hear singing when she'd found the house but then again, she hadn't planned on finding a house at all. She watched the door cautiously as the singing continued. It was heavenly in her opinion but she could hear the pain that flowed within each word. The door opened and a small fox exited the house and started off into the forest. Taking a chance she ran to the door and slid inside without making a noise. She could only smell one thing in the house which surprised her. Houses of any kind were often filled with all sorts of different smells yet this house held only one. She'd followed the foxes scent to a closed door. Anko had heard the water running on the other side but she couldn't sate her curiosity. Casting an invisibility genjutsu around herself she opened the door as silently as she could. There was no way she'd been prepared to see what was in front of her. He stood there. Nine, flame red, tails wrapped around his body. The water running down his skin making the mysterious sunlight reflect off him.

Her eye's trailed his visible body. He was all but perfection. Everything about him was screaming at her. She found her way to his face. The sight sent a shiver down her spine. Behind flame red hair she could see the shining red eyes staring at her. Surprise, fear, and other unreadable emotions displayed themselves across his eyes. 'It's like he's staring at my soul.' She thought. She couldn't pull her eyes away from his. They were piercing and captivating at the same time.

"You… why are you?" he couldn't finish. Anko was staring at him in his true form. The form he didn't want anyone to see. She hadn't run away screaming 'Demon' she hardly showed any reaction at all. She simply stared at him. Her jaw hanging slightly.

'His voice.' She thought. She knew that voice. Even thought the running water that cascaded onto him she could hear it. 'There's no way. This…this isn't possible.' a large fox appeared in the room in front of her. The sight knocked her out of the shock she'd been it. The Fox snarled at her "what do you want here human?"

"Fox." She said. She took a step backward out of instinct. This thing was huge. The bathroom she was in was large. There were only four walls. The tiles ran from the floor to the ceiling, making the room completely water resistant. The shower head hung off a wall in one off the corners while on the other side of the room was a large tub that looked big enough to fit the fox.

"Obviously." Kyuubi snarled again. He missed his tails. Having all nine would scare anyone. Having one, with his size, would scare people but not as much.

"Kyu." Naruto warned. Kyuubi was being overprotective and it confused him a little. He didn't mind it but Anko wasn't a threat to him. The fox clamed immediately.

"What're you going to do?" the fox asked.

Naruto looked at Anko who had all but frozen completely. He could see the rise and fall of her chest and hear her breathing so he knew that she hadn't died of a heart attack. "Anko. I'm going to ask the same question Kyuubi asked. What do you want to here?"

'Kyuubi.' Anko mentally said. She felt a foreign emotion hit her. She was suddenly scared. She hadn't felt this in years. The feeling had been lost after Naruto was born and the village had a new target to channel their hate to. She'd lost all her fear and turned it into pure desire. She wasn't going to be weak enough to suffer the villages hate again. With that mindset she made herself into the Anko that everyone knew. She hadn't felt scared since then and now it was back in full force.

"Answer my question Anko. I'm only going to ask nicely once. Please tell me before I demand the answer." Naruto said.

This couldn't be Naruto. He seemed so… dark.

"Anko."

"I was in th-e-e forest and I smelled a f-f-fox I wanted to see if it was you like it was yesterday so I went after it. I found this place an-d-d I heard singing. I wanted to know what it was so I followed it here. You were in the shower and I just couldn't look away." She said quickly. How was he doing this. Anko wasn't normally like this. Just being near him while he was like this had her stuttering. She breathed quickly thinking they would be the last breaths she took.

The fear she was producing reeked. Naruto wrinkled his nose at it. Anko jumped back to the wall at the action, accidentally slipping on the wet floor. She thought that he had disliked her answer. "Anko." He started, "I told you yesterday. You've got no reason to be afraid of me." He didn't like how she acted when she was scared. He preferred the outgoing, loud, Anko. He approached her slowly. Covering himself with his tails. Just before he reached her he turned to Kyuubi. "Kyu." He said calmly. The way he said it held a eerie sense of power too it. Anko watched as the giant fox bowed slightly before disappearing.

'**I apologize.'** Kyuubi said quietly, **'she appeared and I was unprepared. I let instincts take over and it only made a bad situation worse.'**

'Don't worry Kyu.' Naruto looked down on Anko's shaking form. She looked so prone as she stared at him with wide eyes. 'I'm kinda glad she found me. I can finally let someone else into this side of my life.' Kyuubi let a large grin flash across his face. "I'm sorry about him." Naruto said aloud. He reached for Anko to help her up. Anko just stared at his hand. She didn't know who to be more afraid of. Kyuubi or the one who seemed to command him. Naruto sighed as he kneeled down next to her. Sliding his arms under her knees and back, he picked her up. Anko almost yelled to protest the action but she was still held by the fear that was so fresh. "I'm not going to hurt you Anko." She showed no reaction. He walked out of the bathroom, heading to his bed room. He needed clothes before he talked to the shaking women in front of him. He set her down softly, next to his bed room door. He was in and out in a flash. Reappearing in loose black pants and a orange muscle shirt with an black stripe running down the middle. "Are you going to stand up and walk or am I going to carry you again?" he asked her.

Anko simply stared at him. 'This… this isn't possible.'

Letting a soft smile spread across his face he leaned down and pulled the girl into his arms again. She gave no visible protest so he continued down the short hall to the living room. It was built deeper into the hill so there were no windows, only lights. 'Why didn't I make this my room.' he asked himself. The room wasn't small, but like most of the rooms in his house, it wasn't big. He laid Anko down on the couch that was positioned against the back wall and he set himself down on the only other piece of furniture in the room, a tan, leather, recliner.

"Are you going to respond to me yet or am I going to have to bring you into town so we can have Inoichi jump start your mentality."

Anko turned her head slightly so that she was staring at him again but still made no attempt to answer him. Her fear was starting to quell but it was quickly being replaced by the shock of what was happening. "You…" she couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Yes me." Naruto said as he laughed a little. He suddenly got an idea. She wasn't responding to positive reinforcement so he was going to use negative reinforcement. "Please Anko-hime. I'm trying to make you feel a little better." He said sweetly.

'H.i.m.e?' Anko stared at him. Her eyes narrowed slightly. But still didn't move. 'He's teasing me. Why would he do this to me?' she questioned herself.

"Anko." Naruto asked quietly. "Please answer me before I have to get into your head to hear what you are thinking." He knew how to do it, even if it was painful. He couldn't have her acting like this after a meeting with him. If anyone ever knocked her out of her stupor then she would spill everything she'd seen and he couldn't have that.

"please." she whispered. Her eyes returned to normal as she continued, "Please don't hurt me." She couldn't believe she just said that. She'd meant ask him what happened to him but what came out was nothing like that.

"I told you I wouldn't. You don't have to worry about anything." Naruto whispered back. 'This is my fault' he thought to himself as a tear slid down Anko's cheek.

It wasn't long before her eyes were drowning. 'Why? Why is this happening now?' she questioned. She'd never broken down like this. There were times when she had to release the pent up anger and stress but she'd never cried.

'**She's been holding in for nearly nineteen years. She was the focal point for all the villages hate before you and she doesn't have something inside her to yell at. I'm willing to bet that she's just ignored it for all these years and seeing me forced it out.' **Kyuubi informed him.

Naruto saddened. He slowly got up and walked over to her. Kneeling before the couch he slowly untied her headband and slid it off. He set it down and slowly placed his forehead against hers. She made no protest. Her tears were overflowing her eyes. "Shhh." He whispered. He felt wired doing such a thing for someone like Anko but everyone need comfort sometime.

Anko shifted her eye's to look into his. He looked calm yet pained. She felt a soft tug against her side as Naruto placed his arm against the side to pull her into the best hug he could form with their position. She didn't say anything as she let her eyes spill out everything that was in them.

Naruto didn't say anything. He sat there, waiting for her to calm down.

It didn't happen. She just kept crying. Deciding that he should try something different Naruto pulled Anko's body off the Couch so she was sitting in between his legs. He put her head against his shoulder. "Shhh, shhh. It's okay." he whispered into her ear. He felt his shirt steadily getting wetter as she continued to release tears. She wasn't making any noise, all that she was doing was releasing tears. He just wrapped his arms around her, holding her tenderly, trying to relax her.

"please." she whispered into his shoulder. This wasn't Anko. This wasn't the way she should be. "Please don't leave." This had Naruto confused. He was the one who brought out the fear yet she was asking him to stay. Why? "I don't want to be alone right now." She said answering his question.

'This is so unlike her.' he thought, 'where'd Anko go?' he gently buried his head in her hair. She didn't seem to mind. "Shhh." He whispered a final time.

**(Living room 8:47 PM) **

Naruto sat silently with Anko in his arms. She'd fallen asleep hours ago and there was no way he could move without waking her. So he just sat there, examining her sleeping face. She'd looked so distressed while she was awake yet now while she was sleeping she looked so peaceful. The only evidence he could see of her crying was the tear stains that were on her cheeks.

"Naruto." Anko muttered in her sleep. A small smile formed on her face as she said his name. Naruto didn't know why he was happy to hear her say his name but he was. It was just one of those serene moments that were so few in his life. He relished them when they occurred. He placed his head against hers, closing his eyes. He didn't usually go to sleep so early but since he couldn't move till Anko woke up he saw no reason to stay awake.

"You see what I mean." Kyuubi said as he appeared in a smaller form.

Kyosu smiled. "Yes I do. I'm glad I decided to leave this morning. She might not have come in if I hadn't."

Kyuubi nodded before he began to fade. "Seems I've used up my time out of the seal today."

"Please rest, Kyuubi-sama. Naruto may need more from you in the next few days and we don't want to disappoint him."

"No" Kyuubi laughed, "I don't think he'll need much help on this one. He seems to know what he's doing even if he doesn't know why. I think I'll let him handle this one on his own." Kyuubi smiled softly at the sight of the sleeping pair, "yes, he's gonna be fine on his own." He said as he faded from view.

Kyosu was left in the room, staring at them. He sighed as he turned to go to his bed, "You'd better not screw up."


	3. Poisoned

Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto.

Chapter Three

Poisoned

"She's cute." Naruto told Kyuubi. Naruto had slept all though the night only to find a still sleeping Anko on him. He had to fight back a laugh when he heard the hushed snore that she let out.

Kyuubi sat next to the pair, smiling widely. He hadn't hopped for anything like this. In his mind the best scenario was that Anko woke in Naruto's arms and she broke away, demanding answers. This was wonderful. "She seems to be relaxed in your arms, Kit." Kyuubi mocked.

Naruto grinned as he continued to stare at the girl he was holding. She did look relaxed. Her eyes were a little puffy but that was expected after crying like she had. "Should I wake her up or let her get up on her own?" He shifted his gaze slightly so he could see Kyuubi. Nothing was there. He and Anko were alone in the room. 'Kyu?' Naruto looked into his mind, hoping that the fox had returned to his seal. 'Damn fox. Where the hell'd you go?' There was no response. Sighing he looked back down to Anko. She looked too peaceful to wake up. If she had another fit then these moments would be important and there was no point in taking them away.

**(Noon)**

Anko tilted her head and sighed into her pillow. She'd had one of the worst dreams she could remember having. Hell, it'd been one of the few dreams she'd ever had. She'd learned how to block them out when she was younger. Nightmares were normal then and she hated having them. "Naruto." She muttered into the wet material under her. 'I must have cried in my sleep' Anko thought. 'Naruto could never be a monster.' It wasn't a possibility in her eyes.

Her pillow shifted under her, startling her slightly. She lazily shifted her head so she could look at it. 'Orange?' she didn't have orange pillows.

"Finally awake." Naruto said.

Anko instantly shot her gaze up to see his face. His eyes were closed and he had a small smile on his lips. He looked relaxed. Anko tensed immediately. "I…It."

Naruto tightened his tails around her. He'd woken up with them wrapped around her and he felt no need to remove them. "It was real." He stated calmly. He rubbed her back softly, applying light pressure to calm her. She still felt tense but the simple action seemed to be helping. "Are you feeling better?" he opened his eyes, showing Anko the red eyes that his headband always hid.

Anko took a moment to figure out what he was talking about. 'It wasn't a dream' she told herself. Realization hit her, she'd cried. She'd cried tears that she didn't even know she had and what made it even worse was the fact that Naruto had comforted her. She was Anko. Such things simply didn't happen to her.

"Anko, please respond to me today. I need to know your still there."

Shaking her head slightly, she spoke. "I'm… I… you and the fox… I don't know what happened. I just got so scared." Why was she telling him this? Because he asked. No, it couldn't be that simple.

"Its okay." he whispered as he dipped his head down so their foreheads were touching again. "I can't laugh at you for losing it like that. Anyone who has lived like us would have done the same thing I did. You got scared, so what. How scared were you before I was born? How often did you cry then?" he stared into her eyes. Seeing the insecurity. "Anko… you've got nothing to worry about around me. I'm not gonna laugh, mock, or taunt you for showing those emotions."

He sounded so old. Older than her even. Anko's only guess was that living his entire life in the shadow of hate had pushed him past a natural level of maturity. It was almost painful to listen to. "Thank you." she accidently said. 'I can't even control my words when I'm like this.' She mocked herself.

"Showing fear isn't a sign of weakness. Being emotional is one of the things that define humanity and I know that even under the mask you hide yourself with you are still human. I can smell it."

Naruto said. He didn't like the look on her face. It screamed self pity.

"I don't wear a mask." Anko mumbled. She was trying hard to control her words but they kept slipping.

"Yes you are." Naruto brushed one of his tails across Anko's cheek, "when you wear a mask, everything behind it becomes trapped. It builds, grows, and intensifies untill its uncontrollable. You accidently removed it yesterday when you saw me and everything that was trapped flowed out. Even right now, you're still dealing with the remnants of what was trapped. You can hardly control your actions or you're words."

"How would you know?" she asked indignantly, some of her pride resurfacing.

"You haven't leaped from my grasp and you could barely form a sentence a moment ago." He enjoyed having her light weight against him and he was surprised slightly when, even after it was pointed out, she stayed against him.

It was an even larger surprise when he pulled her forehead away from his and placed her head back against his shoulder, "brat," she started, "I hate feeling weak and I hate you for making me feel like I'm weak." Naruto was about to oppose but she ignored it and continued speaking, "you said you won't laugh at me when I'm like this and Kami help you if you're lying because having that opportunity is wonderful. You've offered me that opportunity and I won't let you take it away." Naruto nodded, his cheek rubbing against her forehead every time it came down. 'Why am I being like this? I've never…' she didn't follow that thought. Naruto had finished his quick nod and left his cheek resting on her forehead. She closed her eyes and sighed to herself. She couldn't help it. She hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time. "This is addicting."

"I know." Naruto said. Anko felt the vibrations in his chest as he spoke. 'She wasn't even a person I paid attention to before yesterday.' Naruto told himself as he breathed in her scent. 'I hate snakes' she smelled like a snake. It really wasn't unbearable but it still threw him off when he smelled it. Deciding it was best not to think about it he sifted himself so his chin was resting on top of her head. His nose away from her hair.

'This is impossible.' Anko thought as she wiggled her head so she was more comfortable.

'Sadistic!' Naruto laughed in his head. Anko hardly seemed like a ninja right now. All her defenses were down and she seemed completely unaware of anything. He wasn't far from that but he knew to be on guard. He himself was completely relaxed but the clones he'd put around the house weren't.

"What are we going to do?"

"About what?"

"This."

"Is there something wrong with this?" Naruto asked feeling slightly confused now. Anko ran her fingers through the fur of his tails. The simple action made his eyes widen and his body tense. 'NO' he yelled in his mind. Waves of pleasure coursed thought his body. He'd stroked his tails before but they'd never given this kind of response before. "D-don't." Naruto forced out. He struggled against the girl in his arms. He had to get his hips away from her.

Anko felt his chest start to vibrate and heard a low hum. 'He's purring.' She continued to run her hands down the furry appendages, ignoring the struggling he was doing. She felt it then. He wasn't struggling because he was trying to escape the situation. He was trying to hide. Anko ripped her hand away from his tail. He was breathing heavily obviously suffering the effects of her treatment. "You could have said something." She wanted to yell and sound outraged like she would but something was telling her not to.

"I tried to." Naruto told her as he finished struggling. "Well we've learned one thing. No petting me. As enjoyable as that was I don't think you appreciate the effect."

How was this boy real? Life itself had turned away from the boy and still he stood kind, not caring about his own desires, and putting other's wants before his own. 'Everyone deserves to be put first once.' She reached out again, placing her hand on the closest tail.

"Anko?"

"Shut up, brat." She felt better now. So relaxed, so calm. There was no need to yell or show that she was the best. Above all, there was nothing to worry about. She slowly stroked the tail she'd found. She smiled when Naruto groaned slightly. "Just be quiet for a little while."

Naruto bit his lip, drawing blood. It hurt but he wasn't going to make another noise. He felt the little trail of blood travel down his chin. Anko smelled the blood and, on instinct, twisted her head out from under his and licked the blood off his chin. She looked up to the boy that held her. His eyes were locked shut, giving no sign of opening soon. "Stop… Anko you need to stop." Naruto breathed as he pulled one arm free and grabbed her hand.

He was resisting. 'Not that easy, brat.' She twisted her wrist against his thumb, breaking his hold on her. She quickly assaulted a different tail. Naruto gasped as soon as she came in contact with it. He forced open his eyes to look at her. She had a small dab of his blood on her upper lip.

'Damn it.' Naruto jutted his head forward, calming her lips. Anko's eyes widened at the action. Naruto moaned against her mouth as she completed her final brush over his tail. His body tensed as pleasure shot through him. 'DAMN IT!'

Anko pulled away from him slightly. Only enough so that their lips weren't touching. "Brat," she stared into Naruto's glazed over eyes, "did you just cum?" she wanted to sound sarcastic but yet again found herself unable to.

"I told you to stop." His eyes refocused on the woman that was staring at him, "sorry about that. I lost control for a second and… um… you know what happened." He was still having trouble holding his voice.

Anko hadn't minded the kiss. It was more of a surprise than anything. 'He lost control. Then the question is why he did that.' When you lose control your body acts on Instincts and emotions. So the question was simple. Instinct, lust, or… 'Not possible.'

"**Not good."** Kyuubi said. He loved the action that had just transpired but he couldn't tell that to Naruto just yet. **"Kit, I suggest you and the snake prepare yourselves for the consequences of your actions."**

"What?" Naruto asked aloud, earning him a strange look from Anko

"**Blood, kit! She took blood from your body and you took blood from hers."** Naruto thought for a moment. Anko had licked the blood from his chin but he hadn't returned the favor. **"You kissed her and took the blood from her lip. It doesn't matter whose blood it is the only thing that matters it the fact that you took blood from one another. Kit, I've explained things like this to you. How could you let something like this happen?" **What was happening? Nothing felt different. **"Bite the snake." **Kyuubi ordered.

Kyuubi didn't order Naruto to do something unless it was extremely important. He looked at Anko. "Forgive me for this." He pulled down the neck of her trench coat, reviling the cursed seal.

"**Bite there."** Kyuubi paused for a moment. **"I'm sorry you have to do this. I really am but it was your own mistake. It might be for the best in the end though. Now bite."**

Naruto placed his mouth above the seal and sunk his elongated fangs into her neck. Anko let out a soundless scream as a bolt of pain struck her body. She'd had no time to react before her world went black. Naruto pulled back, looking at the seal he'd just bitten. It began to glow red, signaling its activation. It spread across her shoulder and down her left arm, stopping at the elbow. Naruto pulled down the trench coat so he could watch it. It began to morph on her arm, the red glow growing brighter. When it set, the mark that extended down her arm looked like flames that ran down her arm. 'What happened, Kyu?"

'**The blood became poison to both of you the second you took that drop from her lips. It would have killed even you if you hadn't bit her.'**

'Why?'

'**Blood is the signature that is used by the Bijuu when we… join.'** Now was the hard part… the really hard part. No matter how difficult it would be for him to tell Naruto the truth it had to be done. Besides the fact that the kit had to know. Kyuubi just loved the fact that Naruto did this so quickly. It was unexpected but it was completely welcomed. **'Kit… the passing of blood is the joining of mates. The mark is usually given first so the blood becomes harmless. You shared blood first so it became poison to you. If you hadn't marked her then both of you would have died.'**

'… Mate …' Mate. Eternal partner. Anko. He couldn't have a mate, not yet anyway. There was too much that he still needed to complete. There was too much that he knew he would have to suffer through. There was no way that Naruto was going to share that pain. He didn't want it but at the same time he couldn't willingly pass it to someone else. 'Anko… is my mate?'

Kyuubi remained silent. Naruto had to do this alone or the feeling wouldn't be the same.

"Damn fox."

**(Hokage tower)**

"Where the hell is Jiraiya?" Tsunade questioned. She'd been waiting for half an hour for the pervert to show up. The flare of Chakra had been so unstable that there was only one place it could have come from. Jiraiya was the only living person that could help Naruto if there was something wrong with the seal.

"We don't know. He was seen outside the building minutes ago but he's yet to arrive." Shizune answered immediately.

Tsunade let a deep growl out. She'd demanded Jiraiya and so help him, if he wasn't here soon then he would never walk again. As soon as the thought of removing his legs passed through her head the large door swung open. Jiraiya walked through, a solemn look on his face. "I'm sorry. You called but I was a little busy. I'm sure you felt that." He said in a completely professional voice. This wasn't a time to act like the child he usually was. His apprentice could be in danger. Naruto's personality had completely shifted from what it was and it worried him. If it was the Kyuubi influencing him then he would have changed the seal to protect the boy. To his disappointment, Naruto's change had been completely his own and since then Naruto had been acting… different.

"That's why I want you here. I've already sent Kakashi but I need you out there too. I doubt that the Kyuubi has escaped but I'm not willing to take the chance. Find Naruto and check the seal yourself." She looked into Jiraiya's eyes pleadingly, "Please make sure he's okay."

"You know I will." He looked back to the door he'd come through and shook his head slightly. The door was too slow. He walked over to the window. "I'd never let my godson fall to the demon that stole his family." He threw himself into the village.

Tsunade looked out the window. She stared into the night. The day had passed so quickly. She'd woken up to one of the most intense feelings she'd felt in a long time. Forcing herself to her office, Tsunade spent the day quelling the ninja who demanded to know what was happening. Eventually she'd gotten around to telling Shizune to summon Jiraiya. Now she stood. She wanted to do something but it was just so difficult. Healing was her specialty. Seals were Jiraiyas. "What can I do?"

"Help him when he asks for it." Shizune said quietly. She walked up behind Tsunade and wrapped her arms around her mentor. "We can't force our wants on him. We have to let him come to us. He won't trust us if we try to force our good intentions on him." Tsunade tried to turn around to shake Shizune off her but found herself stuck. "Sometimes our good intentions aren't as good for them as we think. What we think is good could be bad for them."

"You're not going to let me go till I agree." She felt Shizune nod from behind her. Sighing, Tsunade forced herself from Shizune's grip. "Fine."

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama." Shizune smiled for her victory. She knew her master could be stubborn but this seemed like one of the rare moments that Tsunade seemed to be willing and unargumentive.

**(Forest of Death)**

"Where is he?"

"I felt the Chakra, pulse, come from this place. I haven't moved in yet though. If something has happened to the seal then I would only be putting myself in needless danger."

Jiraiya looked down, from the branch he was perched on, to the small house. It was built into the side of a hill and it was in the forest of death. Those were the things that were making him question the mindset of the builder. "Are you sure anyone's in there?" he asked.

"Yes. I had Pakkun check. Naruto is in there and so is Anko." Kakashi responded immediately. He wanted to add that he didn't know why anyone with a sane mind would be in a building in the middle of the forest of death but right now there were more important things to worry about. "I was ordered to check the area. Everything else is to be taken care of by you."

Jiraiya smiled at that. No matter what the situation, Tsunade always wanted him to do the most. "Wait here." He ordered as he jumped down. He aimed to land right in front of the door. A red flash blew him backward before he could reach his destination.

"Ero-sannin?" a familiar voice asked. Jiraiya looked around for the boy. He could only see the forest and the red dome that had appeared around the house. He recognized the Chakra but he still didn't feel Kyuubi. "I saw Kakashi-sensei a little while ago but I didn't expect you to show up." The red dome slowly began to dissolve into the air. Naruto came into view when it was gone. Jiraiya was a little disappointed to see the headband covering his eyes.

"Tsunade wanted me to check on the Chakra surge that came from this location. Normally I would have left it to someone else but the surge was too strong to be anything human." Naruto showed no sign of caring as Jiraiya spoke. "I was afraid the Kyuubi might have tried to get out of you.", 'I would have never forgiven myself if you died because of the demon.'

Naruto remained silent for a moment. "I didn't feel anything today… well, nothing like that." He let out a small laugh that Jiraiya knew from experience. "It's been a pretty lazy day for us."

"Us?"

Three other Narutos appeared next to the original. "Were on guard duty." They all said. The one that Jiraiya had been speaking to stepped forward. "Naruto has been a little busy today so he had us watch around the house. Most of the animals around here stay away from the house because of the furball's scent. They can smell it on him and most of them are afraid of it. Every now and then one shows up though so, here we are." Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "None of us felt anything today." One of the clones disappeared.

"Do I get to speak to the real Naruto?" Jiraiya asked. He didn't mind communicating with a clone, he'd done it plenty of times before, but he needed to check on the real Naruto. It was the only reason he came.

"He knows you're here but I'm not sure that you'll be able to talk to him. He's the only one that can take down the shield. It keeps anything with a high Chakra source out. The animals can get in but most ninja can't." He reached out and tapped the invisible barrier. "We can't even get out and we have the same Chakra he does."

This surprised Jiraiya. He'd never heard of such a Jutsu. Hell, he didn't know half the things that Naruto could do. It was one of the things that he hated. Jiraiya wanted to know about his student. He wanted to know if he had done his job as a sensei. It was obvious that Naruto was strong now but it left the question of where he got his strength. "Could one of you let him know that it's important?" he asked calmly.

One of them shrugged and poofed away. "Is Kakashi-sensei just going to sit there all day or is he going to come down here?" the other asked

"No he won't come down. He was only ordered to observe. I need to check on Naruto before Kakashi will do anything further." Jiraiya glanced at the area that Kakashi was hiding in. 'how did Pakkun miss the clones?' he asked himself. The clones were, in all aspects, real. That meant that they had a scent. Something had to be off if Pakkun didn't smell them.

"Animals have a great sense of smell." The clone said as if he was answering Jiraiya's question. "We have to hide it or they will know that there are more of us here. We get board on guard duty so we hide ourselves and hope something shows up."

**(Inside)**

"Jiraiya-sensei is outside." Naruto said quietly.

"I know. I smelled him a minute ago, when he arrived." Kyosu responded. He was feeling rather lazy today. He saw the mark on Anko's arm and was immediately on guard. He recognized the mark but he hadn't expected to see it so soon. "What does he want?"

"Apparently there was a Chakra surge in this area. I didn't feel anything but I'm willing to guess that it was caused by this." He said as he rubbed the mark. He still had her mostly wrapped in his tails but he'd let her upper body go so he could inspect her arm. Kyuubi had abandoned him and now it was up to him to figure the whole situation out. From what he could put together, the mark was a seal. It was a binding that connected him to her. He couldn't tell its full effect but that could wait untill later. He'd been most worried about what would happen when she woke up.

"You're probably right. I can smell the fox on her. The snake is still there but you're scent is mixing into it." Kyosu shared his master's dislike for snakes so the slow retreat of the scent was a relief.

"She's probably going to attack me. Then try to find a way to kill me."

"I doubt that. She's a lot like you in most ways. If you explain to her what happened then she might be okay with it but if not… you're right she's going to kill you then Kyuubi is going to haunt me for letting you die." Naruto let out a half-hearted chuckle. He'd begun to hope that Anko could be a friend. He'd trusted her with his secrets and she had… well she accepted him. He and his friends were close but they still knew little about the new him. Anko knew more than any human he knew and that meant that she had power over him. He didn't want her to become an enemy. This could push her over that line.

"Kami-sama." Naruto said, "Give me a little help here."

"Mhh" Anko stirred. How many times had she woken like this? It felt like too many. She rubbed her face against the pillow that she knew was Naruto. "What happened this time?"

"Damn" he whispered to himself. He didn't want her to wake up yet. He'd spent most of the day talking with Kyosu about what would happen next and how things would play out but neither had the sense to discuss what he would do when she woke up. "I bit you and you passed out."

She remembered him telling her to forgive him but after that it was blank. She didn't feel the pinch that she normally felt when something bit her. She didn't feel any sort of pain at all, she felt great. She was relaxed like she had been before and now she felt light. Like she was flying through the treetops. "Why did you bite me?" she asked groggily. She was still trying to get the last remnants of sleep out of her system.

"I had to. I should have stopped all that but I really, really couldn't find the will power. I kissed you and that pretty much did it. We were screwed the second our lips connected." He didn't let his gaze meet hers. "Kyuubi had told me about all of this beforehand but you were… I nearly lost my mind. You have no idea what that felt like. I kissed you and took the blood you had on your lip."

"What are you talking about?" the way he was talking gave her a bad feeling. She was feeling great and she really didn't feel like dealing with a problem.

"If he didn't bite you then you both would have died." Anko was still a bit jumpy but she showed no sign of surprise when Kyosu spoke. "Bijuu blood isn't the same as human blood. It can be one of the strongest poisons in the world. When blood is shared between a Bijuu and another creature it becomes poison. There are steps that need to be taken before the blood is shared. As he said, you had him in a… disoriented state. You licked the blood off of his chin and when he kissed you he took a little bit of the blood off of your lip. The blood was shared and both your bodies became poisoned."

"So why did he bite me?" she felt a little uneasy now. Nothing good comes from life threatening poison. She knew that was just a fact of life. Whatever the pair was trying to tell her wasn't going to be good news.

"I bit you because it would save us. I haven't explained anything yet but to some things up, I'm not human anymore. I haven't been since the final fight with Akatsuki. They almost broke the seal. It was technically broken but the extraction wasn't completed. With the seal broken I had two choices. One, me and Kyuubi both die. Two, a full power transfer so there weren't two power sources. Without the second power source the seal wouldn't be needed and it would dissolve without killing either of us. We chose the power transfer. Pain decided to stop us and redid the seal with the last of his strength. It wasn't as strong as the original so I didn't get all of Kyuubi's Chakra but the transfer had already begun. You see the physical effects and I'm slowly drawing Chakra from the seal. I will be Kyuubi when I'm twenty five."

It was a shock but she was trained to ignore shock. She had her mask in place and she was ready for it. "What does that have to do with biting me?"

"The sharing of blood is the final step in the joining of Bijuu." Kyosu said immediately. Naruto cursed the fox's bluntness. He wanted to dance around it for a while, prolong the inevitable. "Placing the seal is the first step. He had to place the seal on you or you both would have died."

'Seal?' her first thought was the cursed seal. Her first reaction was to attempt to look at it. She failed to get her line of sight to where the mark should be. Instead she found her gaze locked on her arm. It had a fire like tattoo on it. "What is it?" she knew this was the seal he spoke of. Granted it didn't look that bad but with seals the effect they had was more important than how they looked.

"It… connects us." Naruto said

"It marks you as his mate." Kyosu said.

If Anko wouldn't have frozen Naruto would have skinned the small animal that still sat next to him.

Anko could practically feel the mask cracking down the middle. 'I'm going to lose It.' she thought, 'and I don't think it is going to come back.' She slowly brought her head back to Naruto's shoulder. It still felt warm like a just used pillow should. She didn't know how to take this. She could feel the crack slowly splitting down her. Revealing more and more of the side she didn't want anyone to see. She had to think quickly before logic was lost to the shock that she could feel seeping into her. "Can you remove the seal?"

"The poison is still in us. The seal is a filter of sorts. It binds us and protects us. Bijuu hold the joining of mates in high regard. It's like marriage but there is no divorce. If the seal is removed, which I don't know how to do, then we will both die."

"I don't mean to interrupt but Jiraiya is still outside." Kyosu said. He wanted to take care of that little problem before this started so there wouldn't be any real interruptions.

"Tell him to wait with Baa-Chan. I'll come to the tower tomorrow night." Naruto said. The little fox bowed slightly before walking away.

There was silence for a moment. Finally, when Anko was sure that Kyosu was gone, Anko pulled away from Naruto's shoulder, "you're telling the truth right? You're not trying to scare me off or mess with me? This is real?"

"Everything that you've been told is the truth as I know it."

"okay." she said as she shut her eyes. This was real. How was this real? She'd been enjoying herself in the forest of death. She'd done that hundreds of times how did it turn into this. It didn't seem real yet something was telling her to believe it, believe Naruto. Trusting him seemed to come with an unnatural level of risk but risk was part of being a ninja. She was use to it. 'Okay' she mentally repeated. She sucked in air. Letting it fill her. Before Naruto could do anything to object Anko had locked her lips to his. She wanted to feel what it felt like. He had described it as being like marriage and marriage involved kissing. She needed to know what that felt like before she went with any of this.

It didn't feel right, she though. Naruto was struggling too much for it to be real. She knew that if what he was saying was true then he could easily throw her away. The fact that he was trying to get her off without hurting her meant something.

She finally backed away. "Why did you struggle?" she asked quietly.

"I don't expect you to do that. I did it to save us not to gain this. Survival was the only thought that was going through my head when I marked you. You're bound to me as I am to you but I'm not going to try to stop you from being… you. There isn't a distance set so you can travel as far from me as you like and you can be with anyone you choose."

"So you struggled because you thought I thought I was being forced.", 'wow.' she thought. It amazed her that he was acting like that. It also amazed her that he wasn't thinking about what he had said. "For starters, I don't do anything unless I want to. I wanted to see what it felt like but all your struggling kinda killed that effort. Second… well, I'm Anko. You're telling me to be with someone I choose when half the men I would choose would only see as a traitor's apprentice. I'm shunned by most of the men that I could even think to be with. Those who treat me like a human aren't exactly what I'm looking for."

"She's hitting his weak spot against him." Kyuubi whispered.

"I know. I'm a happy she hasn't tried to kill him yet. Hell, she kissed him. The boy's damn lucky if you ask me." Kyosu said. He and Kyuubi sat side by side, watching the pair from the hall. Kyuubi was partially disappointed that Naruto didn't notice them but he was thrilled at how the situation was playing out.

"There are people that don't care what you are. Iruka-sensei is the same age as you isn't he?" Naruto asked. He knew that his former sensei wouldn't care about what Anko had been. He'd treat her like a princess and then she would yell at him for treating her like a princess.

"You weren't lying, were you? You really haven't spent more than a few minutes with anyone." She saw the look in his eye and that was all the answer she needed. "Iruka is… with Kurenai. They've been together for nearly two years."

Naruto felt a little guilty that he hadn't played an active part in the lives of the people he cared about but at the same time he knew he was doing the right thing. "You're not getting what I'm trying to say."

"You're saying that you aren't forcing me to do anything. I'm saying that I don't have a very large spread of people waiting for me. If I'm connected to you in the way you say then I say 'what the hell'. I'm not going to dive headfirst into this but giving it an attempt won't hurt anything." She said. She wanted to try this. It was true that they were new to each other. They'd spent fairly little time together outside of missions that they were on together. From what she had seen, Naruto was enjoyable to be around. He was kind, honest. To top it off he was as deadly as hell.

'An attempt.' He'd never been in a romantic relationship with anyone. He'd tried for years to get involved with Sakura but trying was all he ever did. In the end Sakura was meant for lee. It worked out great. She calmed him down and he excited her. After he had started to become a Bijuu he'd all but giving up on the prospect of becoming involved with anyone. 'Who would want a monster' he'd told himself. He couldn't find deceit in Anko's voice but he was still wary. "An attempt. If you're willing to attempt then I'm not going to object. I think you're one of the few people that would ever understand my situation anyway."

"What is your situation? You seem to be in control of yourself which shows that you're not a monster and from what I've seen your one of the better guys in this village."

"I'm damaged." He said immediately. "I grew up in the worst environment imaginable and if you think I came out 'fine and dandy' you're wrong. I constantly doubt myself and other people because I'm afraid to trust them. I've cut myself off from the world just because I was afraid of what they would think of me."

'Low self-esteem too.' she thought to herself. 'I can fix that.' "Naruto," it felt weird to say his name. It was nice to have it pass by her lips but the way it felt made it weird. She didn't expect it to feel good. "Everyone doubts themselves and not all of us are mind readers so we naturally doubt what other people say. We can only trust them." she looked at her arm. "I've got poison running through me. This seal, the one you put on me, is protecting me. You've earned my trust so I'll believe you and I'll try this… us."


	4. Friends, Family, and Jutsu

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Chapter four

Friends, Family, and Jutsu

It felt weird, he thought. He'd had Anko with him for days. She rarely left him alone. He had privacy when he needed it but other than that she was by his side. Naruto didn't mind much, but the looks the pair were getting were beginning to anger him. What was wrong with two people hanging out? They weren't bothering anyone or disturbing the peace. They were simply talking. Anko forced Naruto to try her favorite flavor of dango and Naruto threw up in the shop. That was the worst thing they'd done.

It was funny to them that he, the soon to be Kyuubi, couldn't conquer his own taste buds. Everyone else looked at the scene with disgust. Sure, puking in public is never a pretty thing but they looked at it like a plague.

Today Anko had decided to go find Kurenai and annoy Iruka. Naruto missed her presence but was pleased with the solitude. She'd become a friend, he could say that. She was a crazy, messed up friend who wanted to test interrogation techniques on him, but a friend none the less. They would share a light kiss on occasion but never in front of people. Usually they were in the forest of on top of the Hokage monument.

Naruto walked through the village quickly. He'd told Kyosu to tell Jiraiya that he would meet them but he hadn't shown up and there was no doubt that Tsunade was waiting for him. She wouldn't send anyone to look for him, she would wait, and when he finally showed up she would kill him for making her wait. Today he was alone so he decided that it was time to see her. He wouldn't let her get close enough to examine him but he would show her the seal. It was slightly different than the original but he doubted that the original would ever exist again. The creator was a master who was only rivaled by the demons. Two people knew how to make it and both were dead because of it.

He checked his headband one last time before walking into the tower. His eyes were the only thing he could never Henge. He wasn't sure why but the most logical reason that he could come up with was that they couldn't be change because of their ability. He moved throughout the tower like a ghost. His eyes could see through the headband and thusly he could move faster than his image. He appeared at the double door to the Hokage's office. He heard several surprised gasps when he just fazed into existence. He loved doing that. It scared people and brought him the grim satisfaction of seeing the fear in their eyes.

"Baa-Chan!" he yelled as he walked through the door. He never really bothered with an appointment. She was like a grandmother and family was before anything.

A book flew past his head as soon as the door was closed. He could see it coming like it was in slow motion but he acted surprised. It was his job to act surprised, if he didn't people would get suspicious. He looked back to find the book imbedded in the wall. He whistled as he continued to the seat in front of the desk, "wow. Nice shot, Baa-Chan." He joked.

"Where have you been lately?" She asked calmly. Naruto visibly gulped. He could take her, he knew that, but she could make him regret being alive.

"I've been training. I'm sure ero-sennin told you about my house." he laughed a little despite himself. "I wasn't planning on telling anyone I live there. It's kinda like a personal resort where nobody can reach me. Not so much anymore." He dropped his head in fake sorrow. It'd been forever since he'd acted like this in front of anyone but Kyosu. Tsunade had been like a family member to him while he was human. He felt a guilty that he'd disclosed her from his current life but there wasn't a doubt in his mind that it was for the best. She would be forever scorned for favoring a demon. Even if Kyuubi wasn't a real demon, the result would be the same.

Tsunade had wanted to kill him when he'd walked in but she was quickly changing that idea. He was acting like he had before Akatsuki. She was ecstatic. Everyone missed this Naruto and everyone wanted him back, Tsunade included. She smiled at his horrible attempt to show sadness. It was the kind of thing that only he could do. "I've been told that I'm not the only female that knows about your new home." She teased.

'Anko.' Naruto thought immediately. He had asked her not to tell anyone of the house, his home. He was willing to trust her to keep that secret. As far as he knew she hadn't told anyone.

"Kakashi," she said, answering the question she could see forming in his head, "was the one who found your, how did you put it, _resort_. He had Pakkun help him. Obviously he found you but Pakkun also caught Anko's scent inside the house. If she was in it then she knows about it."

Naruto decided to let go a little and made an over exaggerated 'O' face. He then smiled to himself at the thought of Anko. She was… well, she was Anko. He couldn't help but smile at that. There was a hitch a fear imbedded in him but that was most likely some of the venom that was still in him from Anko's latest 'test'.

"I expect to hear about this sooner or later." She said in a motherly tone. "If you don't tell me then I'm sure Anko would after a round of sake with me and Kurenai. You have no idea what those two will talk about when their drunk." She got a dreamy expression on her face as the stories the two had told replayed themselves in her mind. "It'll be a lot better for you if I hear it from _you_."

"Anko is a friend." Naruto answered immediately. Anko had been drunk near him before. Not recently, it had been nearly two years. Naruto could still see the half naked body dance around in his head. He thanked Kami that she hadn't remembered it. "She found my house by accident while she was hunting in the forest. She stops by every now and then since she is frequently in the forest."

He spoke quickly, as if he was more willing to have his version told. Naruto felt a small bead of sweat travel down his spine. He _did not_ want Anko to even think about talking about their first meeting in his home. For starters, his secret would be out and that could be disastrous. Secondly, Anko wasn't known for keeping her… more interesting experiences to herself. He didn't want the kunoichi of the village to know how sensitive his tails were. Hell, he didn't even want them knowing that he had tails.

Tsunade caught on immediately. If Naruto didn't want to tell her something then she wouldn't press. She valued him and she knew that Shizune had been right. All she could do was wait for Naruto to return to her. Her smile turned into a wicked grin. Just because she couldn't make him do things didn't mean that she couldn't torment him. "It's fine if you don't want to tell me all of it Naruto. Or is it Naruto-kun, now. I'll have to ask Anko."

Naruto's eyes concealed all the terror he felt. "Anko calls me whatever she wants. I don't particularly care and even if I did, odds are I wouldn't be able to make her stop. You know how she is." He yet again smiled at the thought. He was learning how she was. Crazy, insane, sadistic, caring, hurt, scared. He had seen all these sides from her and yet he still found the need to dig deeper, to find what other things she was keeping.

Tsunade grunted at the thought. "Calls me boss lady." She muttered.

Naruto bit his bottom lip to keep from laughing. "And you yell at me for calling you Baa-chan." He asked with all the outrage he could pull together.

"Yes! At least she treats me like I'm the boss, WHICH I AM." Tsunade yelled immediately, her eye twitching slightly. Naruto felt genuinely pleased. He'd pissed off Tsunade, he'd had fun with the closest thing to a grandmother he had, and he released some of the guilt that had been weighing him down. It felt good to let her into his life. He wouldn't tell her his secrets but he would make an effort to see her more than he had been. She was, by everything but blood, his grandmother. Family was important.

**(Training ground 8)**

"Where the hell have you been lately?"

"I could ask you the same thing but I already know the answer. Half the village knows the answer."

Anko smiled widely as she dropped onto her butt. "You jealous Ku-Chan? Isn't Iruka make'n you happy?"

Kurenai rolled her eyes. She loved Anko like a sister but just like a sister, Anko knew exactly how to annoy her. "Iruka is making me very happy." She stared in a defensive tone. "And no I'm not jealous. I'm simply curious. It's not every day you see the… well, the 'outcasts' together."

Anko's smile dropped a little. She knew that Kurenai meant no harm with the comment but it still bothered her that most of the village would use such a comment as an insult. It was true but it didn't make it any better. "Naruto isn't that bad." She said truthfully, "he's a little rough but he has to be one of the most sincere people in this village. I almost, fucking, lost it. I was nearly in tears, ME!" She lied. "And the brat helped me. He was dejected and mistreated and he's got the heart of an angel when he's a demon."

Kurenai almost got angry at her friend. Naruto wasn't a bad person in Kurenai's book. He was a little different from everyone else but he'd always been there when somebody needed him. Hinata had frequently told her of how kind Naruto was to everyone. Kurenai was a little disappointed in her student. She'd ran away the second his personality had turned. She found him 'lacking the qualities I liked' Hinata had said. Naruto was different now but he was still the same. She could see him avoiding people till eventually he had all but disappeared and now he was back. He'd walk the streets with Anko by his side. It was good for the village to have him around. It livened it up but she still scorned those who called him a demon.

Anko noticed the look Kurenai got when she called Naruto a demon. Anko liked calling Naruto a demon. He'd explained to her that the Bijuu weren't demons but she was adamant about calling him one. She liked to think of him as her demon.

"So have you been doing anything besides being around him?" Kurenai asked sarcastically.

"Not really. Were kinda stuck together." Anko answered with a toothy smile. It seemed like it been forever since she'd spoken to Kurenai. She was busy with her baby or with Iruka. Anko couldn't blame her. She wanted a family like Kurenai had. It was one of her deeper desires that she rarely told anyone. Kurenai knew. But then, Kurenai knew everything about Anko.

\

"I don't see a ring." Kurenai teased. It was meant as a joke but she saw the flush on Anko's face. 'Anko doesn't blush' she thought to herself.

'I wonder if he will give me a ring.' Anko asked herself. 'If were mates then he might just consider the seal a ring.' She unconsciously brought her hand to where her cursed seal would have been. It was a habit she'd picked up. When she was deep in thought she would rub it.

"What are you thinking about, Anko?" it wasn't often that Anko looked out of it. She was an elite ninja. Kurenai knew she couldn't beat Anko if they were to fight but right now she was willing to try. She'd probably win.

"Nothing." Anko lied, "I'm just thinking.", 'about Naruto.' She told herself. Yet again she found her thought process fixated on him. 'No. focus. Today is about my friends not Naruto.'

"He's special isn't he?"

'Should have guessed.', "you know me too well." Anko said.

"I know my friend. I have to. You remember what I was like after Asuma. How long did you stay at my house? I don't even remember." She looked at her friend's expression. "We look after each other. I know something's wrong so tell me."

What was wrong? She had been enjoying herself. Every day was something new. Today he'd woke her up with his lips. She probably suffocated him but it was his own fault. They were friends at least and she could feel the bond. Her arm was twitching as she thought about the connection.

"Anko?"

Letting out an exhausted sigh, Anko caved. "I really like him." she admitted. "But I can't help but worry about how we're going to work out." Naruto was a demon. Well, he wasn't yet but he would be. The oldest record she'd ever found of the Kyuubi was over two hundred years old. If that was true then Naruto would outlive her by hundreds of years.

"You do care for him… right?" Anko nodded. "It'll work out then. Just trust him and he'll make it work."

"WHERE THE HELL IS JIRAIYA!"

"Tsunade-sama must be angry." Kurenai said in a deflated tone.

"Idiot." Anko thought as her arm stopped twitching. She let a smile slip as she thought about Naruto. She did trust him. She only hoped he felt the same.

**(Hokage Tower)**

"WHERE THE HELL IS JIRAIYA!" Tsunade yelled. She glared at Naruto as he pushed himself against the far wall, willing himself to go through it.

"Baa-Chan. It really isn't his fault."

"Shut up. You were more worried about training before you went with him on that stupid training trip. The pervert infected you." she looked out the window behind her desk. If Jiraiya didn't show up then she would gut him.

"It really wasn't his fault." Naruto said again, trying to save his teacher. "Anko surprised me."

"And you let it happen."

'She was only touching my tails.' He thought to himself. Tsunade had managed to make him tell her about Anko. He'd told her how different she was when they were alone and he'd been stupid enough to tell her about their… interaction. He had only told Tsunade the result not how it happened. He wasn't going to tell her about his tails. "I was caught off guard."

"You should always be on guard. You're a ninja." She was fuming. Only Jiraiya could turn an innocent child like Naruto into what he was now. How had she never put it together? Of course Jiraiya was to blame.

As if sensing her mentor's hostility, Shizune entered the room. She looked at the pleading look on Naruto's face and knew that something needed to be done. She walked to where Tsunade stood and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Tsunade-sama." She said quietly. Without responding, Tsunade shot her the glare that she had been giving Naruto. Shizune smiled softly at her mentor. She'd seen the glare enough times for it to have no effect. Even if it was a serious matter, Tsunade couldn't hurt her, even if she wanted to. Shizune shifted her gaze to Naruto, "you can go now Naruto-kun. I'll calm her down." She said with a soft smile.

"Thank you." he said quickly as he shushined out of the room.

"I wasn't done with him." Tsunade ground out. "I'm still the Hokage. He's my ninja and I…"

"Are you going to use your position to make me bring him back?" She asked calmly, knowing that Tsunade was cornered.

Staring angrily was all that was left. Tsunade knew that she couldn't force Shizune to do anything and it only served to anger her more. "No. you better have a damn good reason for telling him to leave."

Laughing lightly, Shizune wrapped her arms around Tsunade. "I always have a reason when I empty you're office."

**(Forest of Death.)**

'**You didn't ask her about becoming Hokage.'** Kyuubi told him as he walked through the forest.

"I know. In my defense I was scared for my life. She looked pretty angry and that usually doesn't mean sunshine and daisies. I could practically see the different ways she was planning on torturing Anko." He said out loud. He wasn't worried about anyone hearing him in his forest. He didn't have to care about glares or whispers. He could relax a little in it.

"Who's planning on torturing me?"

'**Maybe we should keep our conversations in your head. It proves to be safer.'**

"I was just thinking the same thing." Naruto said as Anko approached him. "Hi, Anko-Chan"

"Hi, back, Naruto-kun" she said sweetly.

Naruto rolled his eyes at her. "If you don't mean it then why do you say it?" he asked half heartedly as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'll stop if you drop the _Chan_. I may be more feminine than most people know but I still don't want the suffix added."

"How about _Hime _then?"

He didn't need an answer. The spiteful look on her face told him what he needed to know. He sighed to himself as he leaned down to kiss her. It was short, a greeting more than anything. "So what got Boss-sama pissed?" she asked with a bit of enthusiasm. It was always amusing to see her Hokage angry.

"I told her what my reaction was when you touch my tails." He replied simply.

"You're joking right?" Naruto couldn't be that stupid. He knew what happened to perverts when they ran across the Hokage. It was common knowledge that she had a strong dislike for them.

He smiled sheepishly as he answered. "I wish I was joking. She was practically interrogating me for information about you. At first I thought she was just messing around but the questions kept coming. She asked stupid things like what your favorite color was." He paused for a second. The next thing he was going to say would most likely be his last so, taking a breath, he leaned down and kissed her again. "Eventually…I said that I came after you decided to pet me."

Anko looked at him like he was stupid. 'There's no way in hell that this boy is that clueless, that…arrg.' "Do you have any idea what that sounds like. Did you tell her about your tails?" He shook his head immediately. "Kami. So that's who's planning on torturing me." She said with a sigh. "You know I have to punish you for this."

Without waiting for a response, she plunged two kunai into his shoulders. The resounding poof knocked her back instantly. "Sorry Anko-Chan. Just because it can't kill me doesn't mean it doesn't hurt." The real Naruto said as he ran through the forest.

"I'm going to kill him." Anko muttered under her breath. She looked around the small open area that she was in. she found no trace of him anywhere. She sniffed the air immediately. "Damn fox!" she yelled as she jumped into the trees.

Kyuubi chuckled at the scene. "I think you should be more afraid of her. You're stuck with her."

"No I'm not. She's just trying, remember. There haven't been any vows yet." Naruto said as he walked into the clearing. He looked to the way Anko went. 'Kami it's good to be fast.'

'**She'll find out you made another clone eventually.'**

Naruto laughed at memory that suddenly filled his head. "She just did."

"You're going to get yourself killed if you keep messing with your mate."

"Kyu." Naruto said in a serious tone. It was uncommon for him to ever take things too serious. Kyuubi knew this. Even their Hokage conversation hadn't held the strict level of severity Naruto was showing now. "She's is my mate. That much is true. But as of right now that mark on her arm is only a safeguard for the poison. Hell, I don't even know what it did to the cursed seal. The mark could be dangerous. All I know right now is that Anko is my friend. Mate… maybe. She is interesting to me so I might want to take her as my mate eventually. Right now… she isn't my mate."

It was an important decision for him. Naruto wasn't going to let his life partner be chosen because of a mistake. Sure it brought them together but he wasn't going to let it end at that. Anko was marked as his mate but for him the mark was nothing. It would be his choice who his mate would be and it annoyed him that Kyuubi had already pinned Anko as his mate. He liked her but he still needed more time before he would choose her as his mate.

"I'm going get you." Anko hissed as she reappeared in front of him.

Naruto wrapped his arms around her waist. Anko let out a girly 'eep' when she was lifted up from behind. "How the hell do you do that?" she laughed out as they reappeared across the field. Naruto set her down.

"I can go anywhere I can see." he said as he pulled up his headband. "These eyes are the key to Konoha's yellow flash."

This time Anko exploded. It was hard not to laugh at that concept. Konoha's yellow flash was the strongest man that Konoha had ever seen. "You- ha ha ha- you can't be serious." It was hard to stop laughing at the thought.

Her laughing stopped as Naruto's pupils shifted in his eyes. They broke apart into three pieces. Each was a triangle that spread apart in his eye, leaving it pupil-less. (The Sharingan except it isn't red and there aren't commas or a pupil, just triangles where the commas would be and there blue.) "The secret of the Hiraishin no Jutsu is these eyes. Do you want to hear the story?" he asked in a joking tone.

"What I want to know is why you have them. Though I suppose that'll be answered so sure why not."

'**You sure you want to tell her. You'll have to make sure she doesn't tell anyone.'** Kyuubi asked. Naruto could hear the concern in his voice. He understood that what he was going to say was a secret that he wasn't supposed to know. Telling Anko would be a sign of trust. Part of him hoped that she would be able to keep his trust.

"You can't tell anyone what I'm about to say. Part of it I'm not supposed to know and another part… nobody knows the other part. It was something that only the fourth knew about and I only know about it because of who I am. Can I trust you to keep this to yourself? I would be put in a bad situation and depending on how we work out it could affect us." He reached down and grabbed her hand. "The CRA (clan restoration act) would demand that I have multiple wives. I… I don't want multiple wives. I'd given up on even having a relationship."

Anko had to think for a moment before responding. She knew that the clan restoration act was implemented to keep clans alive but to her knowledge it was only used to keep bloodlines alive. "I know you're the last Uzumaki but you don't have a…" she watched as his eye's returned to normal. "Blood…line"

Seeing that she understood he continued. "The Yondaime was the strongest, most loyal, Shinobi that this village has ever had. He loved his wife." Noticing the confused look on Anko's face he remembered that nobody knew about the marriage. "He married in secret. If news got out that he had a wife… a lot of people didn't like him. Anyway. He loved her and he didn't want anyone but her. The Hiraishin was made to cover up his bloodline. These eye's let me move anywhere within my vision by shooting a small bolt of Chakra to that location at, extremely, high speeds. Once it reaches its location a small seal forms and summons me to it. I can maintain constant movement by using more Chakra to produce a larger seal. I can appear anywhere on the seal. Usually I just use a normal amount of Chakra and make a mini-seal. When I need to move farther I just make a huge seal. The largest one I've ever made was the size of Konoha. With my virtually limitless chakra it barely affects me. Back on subject, my father didn't want another wife. He felt that it would be betraying my mother. He didn't want the council to place enact the CRA so he recreated his bloodline. I don't know how long it took him, I don't know how many hours he put into it, but I know in the end he made one of most powerful jutsus ever known."

"You're… father?" Anko asked. The Yondaime made the Hiraishin. If it really was based on a Bloodline then the creator would have to be nothing short of the smartest man alive. 'My father.' Naruto had said that. "Your father?" she repeated.

"Minato Namikaze. Husband of Kushina Uzumaki. Yondaime Hokage, savior of Konoha." He took a deep breath. "Father of Uzumaki Naruto." There it was. Only the Hokage knew that. He knew that Tsunade knew that and he knew that she wasn't allowed to tell him till he reached Jonin. "Tsunade knows. You can confirm it with her if you really need to. I'm not supposed to know yet so don't tell her you heard it from me."

He could tell by the way her jaw was hanging that she was in a small shock. He grinned as he took advantage of it.

Anko was in a stupor. She knew that she was going to talk to Tsunade but only one thing was really going through her mind. 'His own father put him through hell.' It was ironic if she really thought about it. He'd become the beast that his father died to seal. Her entire thought process stopped when she felt Naruto's lips hit hers.

She purred against him as she pushed her tongue into his mouth. 'Kami he's good at this.' She thought as he pulled her body to his. It was common for her to push the boundaries of their physical relationship. She just loved the look on his face when she'd guide his hand somewhere special. She loved the feeling and she knew that he liked it even if he shuddered out an argument.

He laughed softly at her disappointed face when he pulled back. "I'm just like my father. I only want one wife. I don't know if that'll be you but I do like you and I don't the council interfering." Rubbed her arm lightly as he met looked into her eyes. "You can't tell anyone about my heritage or my bloodline. You can talk to Tsunade about my father but she doesn't even know about the bloodline. I'm telling you because I want to trust you. You know my worst secret and know you know this." He smiled softly. He felt lighter than he had in months.

"So… you lie to the village about your bloodline by using the fourths strongest jutsu. The jutsu that he made to hide his bloodline." Naruto nodded. "And he did this just so the CRA wouldn't be implemented." Another nod. Anko let a sadistic grin cross her face, "fine I won't tell anyone." Naruto let out a sigh of relief. "If you teach me the Hiraishin."


End file.
